


The Garden

by OrchidPeach560 (Miss_Webb)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Ending not planned yet, Healing, Hopefully it will be happy, Hurt Tony, Infinity War spoilers, Kidnapping, M/M, Picks up right after infinity war, Thanos has feelings..? Lies.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 19:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15517467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Webb/pseuds/OrchidPeach560
Summary: Tony, stuck on Titan without a way to travel back to earth (not that he's sure he wants to) realizes something's wrong with the wound he sealed. Realizing there's no way to save himself, he accepts death, welcoming it as an escape from his failure and guilt.Thanos apparently has other plans.This Fic came from Ladyinwhitearmor on tumblr, I was scrolling through Tony/Thanos tag and saw it, you should go say hi the idea belongs to them and they gave me permission to write it.http://ladyinwhitearmor.tumblr.com/





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this chapter is short because I just wanted to get this started. I don't think this is going to be a super long fic, but then again I say that about everything I write so... who knows, the next chapter will be up not too long from now.
> 
>  
> 
> The Original Prompt post:
> 
> "After Thanos has received the time stone from Dr. Strange and left for Earth, Tony seals the wound with his nanotechnology. However, he overlooks that the tip of the dagger is still in the wound and through the foreign atmosphere on the planet and the bacteria and viruses unknown to his body, the wound infects very quickly and his immune system collapses.
> 
> After Thanos has wiped out half the universe, he returns to Titan (for whatever reason, I had no idea yet) and finds Tony breathing heavily and lying on the ground with a fever. Nebula went to get a first aid kit from the Milano. Thanos takes the almost unconscious (*) Merchant of Death to his farm and provides him with everything his knowledge of herbal medicine and human anatomy has to offer.  
> (*or Tony is still awake and screams at Thanos in desperation, trying to attack him with his last strength reserves, which is of course fatal for the wound and his current state of health. You decide.)
> 
> Tony wakes up from unconsciousness in Thanos’ bed on the farm and barely notices what is happening around him: Thanos tries to remove the dagger tip, treats the wound, sews it up, infuses Tony with water and food, changes his clothes, washes him (idk stop yelling at me).  
> I also had the idea that Thanos plants herbs in his garden and also some that are antiseptic and have the effect of promoting wound healing and so on.  
> In delirium Tony talks to Peter or Strange, maybe also Steve and believes he is still with the Avengers or shortly before the fight in Siberia (which makes him suffer even more), which is interesting for Thanos he gets to know something more about his little merchant of death.  
> Maybe Tony will have some clear, waking moments in between. His memories of Strange’s last words, the death of Peter, the fight with Thanos. And that he failed.
> 
> I also wanted to write a scene where Tony jumps from Thanos’ bed, both bang back on the floor and Tony punches the Titan over and over again. He doesn’t care that he only has his bare hands, is injured and alone. Thanos don’t mind the blows, because Tony is still very weak and in the end the stitches of his wound burst open again and he has to give up. Thanos lifts him back into bed and treats the wound again. He’s still gentle and calm."

 His torso ached, deep and throbbing. His throat dry with a demand for water, a thirst he couldn’t quench on the dry desolate land. The skin of his face felt aflame and sweat collected at his neck and down his back, sands stick and layered his skin as it was picked up by the dry hot winds. A horrible itch had begun around the wound he’d sealed. Confusion set in. He should be fine, this pain- this itch- this daze in his mind preventing him from standing long enough to hold a semblance of balance, it shouldn’t be there.

At first, he’d assumed it was shock. Losing Peter, losing Stephen, losing everyone. Utter and complete failure. They’d lost, and half the universe was going to pay for it. For their mistakes. Tony thought guilt had stunted him. Caused this full body ache, but it’s more physical than he thought. The pain is active, growing by the minute.

Chills, sweats, and a fit of painful coughs every few minutes.

Something was wrong, _inside._

Nebula had gone off, muttering something about a medical kit. But this is serious, he needed a doctor, probably surgery, and some medication.

But what if there were no more doctors? What if he couldn’t make it back to earth in time? The suit is done for. Not that the suit alone would have survived space travel all on its own, it’s not made for that. Everything here is destroyed. He’s not strong enough to look around and put together an entire spacecraft.

He sags back into the dirt and dust after another coughing fit takes him. His throat burns, and he can taste the bitter iron of blood gathering in his mouth.

It’s simply too late.

He failed.

Maybe it was better this way. He didn’t want to live in a world without them, a world where he failed. Just as his eyes roll back, he can see a dark blue portal open a few yards from him. Thanos steps through, and the red-hot anger in Tony isn’t enough to keep him conscious long enough to even hurtle curses at the Titan.

Everything goes dark, and Tony wishes quietly that there’s an afterlife so that he could see Peter again.

_

Death doesn’t feel as painless as Tony imagined it would. There were several scenarios he often entertained. One was total and complete darkness, a void as if he wouldn’t know he was dead, just like going to sleep, and not being aware until you woke up… only you don’t wake up.

He tempted to imagine a stream, a long river that your soul could float in forever with all the other souls. He even imagined the endless pain. Hell, where you’re tortured for your sins. Lord knows Tony has a lot to pay for.

He never expected death to feel like this. Mild soreness, and a heaviness in his limbs. He didn’t know if one would have limbs in the afterlife. The feel of the breeze on his skin and the sounds of life, however, make him rethink that he’s dead enough to pull his eyes open. His eyes meet a tan smooth ceiling. He furrows his eyes in confusion. Afterlives probably don’t have ceilings.

He looks down at himself. His shirt is gone, most of the wound is slathered in some golden poultice he tries to sit up, feel for what the heck is on his skin, but pain shoots through him before he gets so much as an inch of moment. He groans loudly, going slack trying to ride the wave of pain away before trying to figure out what is going on.

He turns his head looking around the room. If you could call it that. It was more like a hut. He was laying on something soft, not quite a bed from the shape, but was nicer than any mattress he’d slept on. That might have more to do with the dizziness in his head than the actual feeling.

The room's walls were a mix between a tan and pale, heavily textured which made him think they weren’t painted but built with that color and look. He looked around and saw small pieces of furniture. A small table with two chairs tucked into a corner, a matching yellow-white bookshelf along the far wall, a large green rug that looked like it would be rough, a dresser next to him, and shelving along the walls. He looked up to see a hole in the ceiling that let in light. He squinted, shielding his eyes as best he could without being able to lift his arms up at the moment, and groaned deeply.

Where the hell was he?

He took several deep breaths trying to sit up, but couldn’t, pain slamming through his everything, taking longer and longer to lessen and go away each time.

“Doing that is unwise.”

Tony jerked, started by the voice of the person who managed to sneak up on him. Which he’s not sure how he missed the nine-foot Titan walk in, but the surprise was taken over by anger, and Tony tried to throw himself at the Madman but ended up calling out in pain and clutching his side.

 “I told you that was unwise. You’re not going to be able to move without severe pain for several days. Longer if you keep moving.” Thanos hums, stepping over. His feet echo on the hard floor, and he reaches over, poking gently at Tony’s abdomen.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Tony bit out, wishing he could reach up and slap the hand away. Thanos ignored him, continuing to prod, and then pulled back.

“That will need to be reapplied tomorrow. Try not to move, or the bleeding will start up again.”

Tony shook his head, looking up at him. How could Thanos just be so calm? How could he stand over Tony and speak clinically and professionally like a doctor?

“What is wrong with you?” Tony asks voice wavering, anger, pain, and grief all filling in at the same moment, remembering what happened.

Thanos didn’t ignore that question. He looked over Tony, purple eyes meeting Tony’s browns. “The same thing that’s wrong with you.” He answers cryptically and walks away. 

_

Tony yells, screams, and even eventually cries. A mix of pain and frustration, and the inability to do anything about it. Unable to move, alone, all he has are his eyes and his mind. The mind that keeps going back over Peter turning to dust in his hands. Stephen, Quill, Mantis, Drax. All fading around him, leaving him behind.

It wasn’t exactly like the vision Wanda had given him just before Ultron, but the gist was the same. Watching everyone around him die, and him living, knowing it was his fault, knowing he could have saved them all if he had just been better, just been faster.

Thanos comes back in, Tony doesn’t know how much later, holding a large glass jar, filled with water. Tony glares at the Titan, and he steps over and sets the jar down.

“This will be painful.” Is all Thanos says before pushing a hand behind Tony’s back and sits him up, a few inches. Tony calls out in pain weakly as his voice is worn thin by the yelling earlier and the dryness. The jar is pressed to Tony’s lips and water pours down his chin before he gets the memo to open his mouth and drink. Apparently, Thanos isn’t in the mood to even entertain Tony’s stubbornness. Either he drinks or gets a cold ass wakeup call down his bare torso. He gulps as fast as he can and when the jar is empty a quarter of it down Tony’s chest, the rest down his throat, Thanos lowers Tony back down, and leave.

Tony truly hates the purple bastard.

He screams that. Knowing Thanos heard it, even if he can’t see the Titans reaction.

He says it over and over as if he could will Thanos pain and suffering just by saying it aloud. His tone gets quieter and quieter as he goes on, throat still sore and tiredness setting in. It’s almost too easy to let his heavy eyelids down and fall asleep.

_

The sound of movement wakes Tony from his sleep. Finally, it’s dark out, the hot sun is gone, and a cool breeze can be felt from the open door. Thanos sits on the floor only slightly turned away from Tony as he eats something that Tony can’t deny smells good.

Thanos notices as he wakes and looks over. Reaching forward, producing another plate Tony hadn’t seen and placing it on Tony’s chest.

“You should be able to feed yourself. If not, I’ll help.”

Even as Tony’s stomach rumbles, he doesn’t move for the food. He shakes his head. “What is this?” His voice is low, as he’s lost it, but that doesn’t stop him from talking. “This how you get your kicks? Done with your quest to destroy the world, so you picked up yourself a pet?”

Thanos looks at him. “Do you see yourself as a pet?”

“No.”

“Then why call yourself one?”

“I didn’t call myself a pet.”

“You just referred to yourself as a pet.”

“That’s what you’re treating me like.”

“This is how humans treat their pets?” Thanos tilts his head, but not in confusion, in fact, Tony can’t trace any sign of emotion on the Titans face. He can’t decipher the situation, he can’t figure out _why_. “Heal you, feed you, give you water. I saved you, I’m saving you.”

“You’re the one who shoved a knife through me in the first place.”

“The only reason I had that knife is that I took it from you, while you were trying to stab me.”

“I was trying to stab you because you were going to kill half the universe! You did kill half the universe!” Tony winces as the force of yelling causes pain, and the plate on his chest tilts almost falling over if Thanos hadn’t saved it just in time setting it on the floor since Tony wasn’t eating it anyway.

“I saved the universe. You will come to see that in time. Everyone will.”

“Not the dead.”

“They would have died anyway. At least this way, others may live.”

Tony decides right then and there that he’s going to bide his time and kill Thanos as soon as he’s strong enough, and apparently, he’s got nothing but time to figure out how.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunlight streamed into the hut blindingly, Tony had to turn his face into the pillow to give his eyes relief from the strong rays. It was also hot, sweat dripped down his neck, and stuck his skin to the sheets. He huffed out a breath in low agony. His skin felt itchy and alight with pain. His head stuffed and clouded. Thoughts were hard to concentrate on, the ones that did were just reminders of how uncomfortable he was in every way. 

The heated rays suddenly darkened, and his skin was dripped in chills. He tore his eyes open and was met with the Titan standing over him. He hated the quiet wave of thankfulness of the tall form blocking the sun.

A large hand places itself on Tony’s forehead and he was overwhelmed by the realization that two of the Titan’s fingers were the size of his entire forehead. Or just how heavy the appendage was.

“You’ve got a fever, and the wound is infected.” Thanos supplied, but Tony couldn’t even think of words to respond, so he didn’t bother. “You have to bathe before I redress it.”

Large hands are under him, and suddenly Tony’s being lifted. He gasps and resists futilely and without real reason until they step outside and all the fight drains from him as he takes in what he’s seeing.

He heard the signs of life, felt the cooling breeze, and seen the food and water Thanos brought back inside, but in no way was he expecting this. Even with a headache and the squint of his eyes, he strains to see everything around them. It’s so green, and bright, there are flowers of every color, bushes, trees, and a stream. From the doorway of the hut and far past what Tony can see there’s a dirt path, devoid of anything but a few rocks and dark soil. 

In the distance he can see animals that roam free, ones he’s never seen before, they must be native to this planet, although they hold plenty of similarities enough for him to guess what they might be.

Thanos walks them to the edge of the stream by shallow clear waters and he sets Tony down in the smooth wet rocks beside it. He can see tiny fish, and water spiders along the surface and a pink and black butterfly lands on a flower just on the other side.

“Where are we?” He manages to ask, a little afraid everything he’s seeing is a hallucination, or an Infinity Stone created illusion.

“Titan,” Thanos answers simply.

“But it was- it was dead.” He looks around, eyes soaking in everything. It’s beautiful. Like a secret paradise. He hadn’t ever seen anything like it.

“It was.” Thanos nods. “It took many years and a lot of work to get even the grass to grow. But I did it.”

“You did?”

“This was my home. When it was all over, I wanted someplace to come back to.”

Tony doesn’t know what to say back to that. There’s a mix of conflicting feelings stirring within him. Understanding among them, he hadn’t lost his entire planet, but he’s lost many things, and people, who felt like his grounding, and home. His parent’s, Obie, Jarvis. Not all of them under the same circumstance s, but He can imagine a hole that it would cause. There’s also anger, this was Thanos’ retirement plan after he killed half the universe, and he did it. He succeeded and Tony’s right here, sitting in the middle of the paradise Thanos had built with his own hands.

“You need to undress before you get in the water, or you won’t have anything to wear when you get out.”

Tony looked down at the pants he was wearing. His shirt long gone, and he figured he’d never see the torn fabric again. He didn’t bother asking for privacy, he didn’t care much about nudity, besides it’s only he and Thanos out there, no need to hide his delicates when his stomach was torn open for the last few days.

It’s a struggle to push the pants off once they’re down to his knees. His entire torso burns with the pain of movement and his arms feel weak. Thanos silently helps pull them the rest of the way off him, and he’s now bare to the world. He scoots himself into the water and hisses when the cold rushing stream reaches the wound and stings. Dirt and the last traces of the poultice wash away and he can see the angry red swelling around the wound, with green and white pus rushing out with blood. It dirty the clear water, and a part of him actually feels bad about it. The fish swim away quickly and he almost apologizes to them.

Thanos stands and turns away, Tony watches the Titan move around the fields collecting a few leaves from the ground, then he turns to the trees. Tony sits waiting, eyes occasionally tracking the movement of the stream and a bold red fish inches around his toes. 

He watches as Thanos reaches for the trees and grabs at something, then taking the contents to the hut. Which now that he sees it from the outside, looks more like a cottage. There are supplies and stools out front, and Thanos begins reaching around for things. Tony catches a glimpse of a dark brown mortar and pestle and he places the various things he collected into it and walking back over to the stream, sitting by Tony and beings to grind and mix the contents.

“What is that?” Tony asks once the curiosity takes over.

“Mostly honey, and some other herbs. It will help draw out the infection.”

“Do you have a kink for taking care of the weak and helpless? Why don’t you just wave the infinity stones and heal me since you seem so interested in my health.”

“They don’t work that way.”

“Oh? They’re powerful enough to snap half the universe out of existence. But not enough to heal a simple infection?”

“It’s not about power, it’s about purpose. None of the stones are capable of healing. I might be able to reverse the injury, but-” Thanos stops himself short, seeming to think over his words before. “But that’s more trouble than it’s worth. This will do.”

The two didn’t speak for a while. Tony sat in the water, watching the world around them. The wind shook the trees and bushes, and the animals made quiet noises as they walked and eat the grass. His mind trailed from the peacefulness to wonder what’s going on back on earth, or hell, one very planet in the universe. He can only imagine what kind of chaos ensued because of Thanos’ snap.

After these last few days, fazing in and out of consciousness, feeling weak and disoriented all Tony’s had were his thoughts. In all that time he’s been planning or trying to plan. Bouncing between figuring a way off the planet, and how to kill Thanos.

Both of which he’s come to a dead end. He couldn’t kill Thanos when he had a team and his suit. Now he has neither and he’s weak. Not to mention, getting home requires technology, and looking around, it’s clear the planet lacks anything but scraps. Scraps may have worked when he was in a cave fighting the ten rings, but it wouldn’t work now. Space is more sophisticated than that.

 Normal weapons won’t hurt Thanos, at least not anything Tony had access to. All his work with that he had and he barely scratched the man. Maybe if he had access to the ruins and broken-down ships he could make a weapon. He’ll need to be stronger for that, besides, he not sure how he’ll be able to get away with making a weapon or ship right under Thanos’ nose like this.

Eventually, his inner plight drives him to talk.

“Why?” His voice comes out barely a whisper, but that doesn’t stop the mad Titan from hearing him. He stills in the grinding to give Tony his full attention.

“Why what?”

Tony shakes his head, feeling overcome with emotions. That bubble up inside. “Why everything? Why bother trying to even help the universe in your sick twisted way of thinking? Why go out of your way to do this? Why patch me up and feed me? Why not just finish the job?”

“You call my mind sick and twisted because you do not want to see how it’s so close to what you yourself have thought.”

Tony scoffs. “I’m sorry, no, I’ve never thought about killing half the universe.”

“No, but you’ve sought to kill and destroy anyone with plans that threatened your Earth. You’re people. You built machines and suits to protect them, to deal out and fight when necessary. Any foreign threat arises you were ready to stand against it. I simply saw that that problem came from within. I did what you were unwilling to.”

“Yeah, there was a reason for that! You don’t kill the people you are trying- no- claiming you want to protect and save.”

“I did what was necessary.”

Tony lets out a dry laugh. “It was necessary? That’s- that’s all you have to say? That’s how you explain it?” His laughter continues, beginning to border on hysterical and he’s out of breath when he’s forced to stop and breathe he realizes there are hot tears streaming down his face. “God, it was bad enough just knowing what you did, just knowing they’re all dead. But no, you don’t even… god, you don’t even have a decent explanation. You’re just- you’re just some guy with unchallenged power, and you did whatever you wanted.”

“I saved the universe from destroying itself, I gave balance.”

“There is balance, there has been balance! Not everything is perfect, worlds end, things die. The only thing you did was murder, and cause chaos on I don’t even know how many planets. All you did was most likely break society, and order established on those planets, and strip people of their loved ones.”

“Look around you, Tony. This is but one part of Titian, life has yet to spread and reach the rest of it. You’ve seen the wasteland it’s become. That would have been your earth one day, and all the other planets.”

“Possibly. Or we would have found a way, we would have done better on our own. Something bad happened here, you lost your home when you felt like you could have saved it, but you didn’t need to become the bad thing that happened to everyone else.”

Nothing else was said after that. They sat in silence, Thanos not moving even to continue grinding the paste, Tony momentarily worried Thanos might hurt or punish him in some way for what he said, but he refused to take any of it back. He’d made peace with dying back there the moment Peter faded in his arms. Hell, he’d welcome it at this point. It’s living that scared him. He zones out into his own thoughts and loses track of time.

When Thanos stands, Tony full body jerks from the hand that reaches for him.

“It’s time to get out. You’re shivering.” Thanos supplies and his words seemed to trigger awareness in Tony, as he can feel the painful goosebumps up his arms that make him want to scratch, and the numbness in his toes. At first, the cool water had been amazing for his overheated skin, but now it seems his temperature lowered enough to start causing him discomfort. 

He struggled to stand, and Thanos once again helped him without comment, guiding him back to the cottage and once he sat down on the cot, Thanos being pressing the mixture to his wound. It was slightly less swollen, and much of the pus had been washed away, but it stung, and the mixture was sticky. He thanks God for the small mercies that it at least smells good.

“Why don’t you just let me die?” Tony asks as Thanos turns away. The Titan pauses just for a moment, then continues walking, not answering the question.


	3. Chapter 3

The blades of grass were slightly damp, and the mud was soft and cool where Tony sat. It was nice compared to the heat, he ignored the beads of sweat slowly evaporating from his skin and the still slight quickness to his breath. He was able to walk around now, sitting up not as painful as before. He couldn’t walk far before he felt the negative effects on his not yet fully healed body. Every day he went further and further, his newfound freedom taken to the fullest advantage, seeing just how far he could get.

Thanos never stopped him, oddly. Yet Tony could feel the Titan’s eyes on him at all times.

It makes Tony wonder if there’s some imaginary line that Thanos will stop him at, or maybe the Titan just knows what Tony knows deep down, that it’s pointless. That even if he manages to get to the other side of this planet he doesn’t have a safe way off it. Even if he did, it’s not like he has a map for the galaxy. He wouldn’t begin to know how to get back to Earth. So many things stand between him and his goal. But he can’t _not_ try, he can’t stop going. If he didn’t- if he just gave up, then all he would have was this. This small section of a destitute planet, the one parcel of life, and he’d have to share it with Thanos.

Tony doesn’t know if he’ll ever make it home, or what’s even waiting for him there, but he does know he’d rather try a futile plan every single day in hopes of getting back then sit here with the enemy.

But right now he's tired and his body aches all over. Mostly in his side. The sun beats down on his skin unforgivingly, and he clings to the cool dampness of the ground to keep him from frying from the inside out.

“Does the sun ever go down?” He shouts his question at Thanos, who he’s heard moving around behind him for the last hour or so. He's seen the sundown once or twice here. But the timing is not how it is on earth that much is clear.

“It goes down every one hundred-twenty-nine hours.”

“What?  Every five days?” Tony calculates. If he's seen it go down at least twice then he's been here for almost two weeks. Maybe more since he can't recall a lot of time before he was conscious or even after he woke up.

He wonders what's going on on earth. Who survived, how they are coping with the loss. God, he hasn't even had a chance to cope with the loss. Mind going to Peter, those last moments. He thinks about May, what she must be thinking, if she’s alive, looking for her nephew. Tony wishes he could explain, tell her how Peter fought just as bravely as everyone else, how he died trying. But that doesn’t matter, does it?

They lost anyway.

Blinking fast to combat tears looks down at the rushing water of the stream before him. Somehow it soothed him. The noise of the water constant but peaceful, to watch the fish and small insects dance along the water, just living, simple, and uncomplicated. How he longed to be just like that.

Shade cast over him as Thanos approached from behind.

“You must be tired.”

“I’m not.” Tony lied quickly, struggling to calm himself, not wanting the Titan to see him upset.

“You’ve been out for hours.”

Tony ignores him, continuing to look down at the water, imagining the ways he intends to make him finally pay for everything he’s done. His eyes narrow into a glare when Thanos sits down next to him.

“Can you not take a hint? Go away.”

“If you refuse to go back inside while you still have the energy, then I have no choice but to wait with you because you will need my help when you’ve exhausted yourself.”

Tony rolls his eyes and inches away from the Titan. “I don’t want your help.” He says, probably for the millionth time since he found himself stranded and injured on this planet. “And you don’t have to wait so _close_.” He bites out, angry as the fish swim away at the sounds and movements above. Just as usual, Thanos ruins the day. He doesn’t understand why the Titan hovers so much,  why he’s always near, always trying to initiate some form of contact or conversation. It’s got to be more than him just wanting to keep Tony from running away. Honestly, if he wanted to he could have broken one of Tony’s legs to keep him bedridden. Instead, he did everything to make sure Tony healed and was healthy. He looked at the Titan out of the corner of his eye, assessing what's to happen when he’s finally healed enough to no longer need help standing sometimes when he doesn't get so exhausted so quickly.

He can’t guess Thanos’ plan. He can’t predict what the next step would be, and honestly, it scared him. The carefree nature Thanos seems to have. It’s as if he has all the time in the world, nothing he seems to be working toward. He doesn’t want to ask either, doesn’t want Thanos to knows he cares, despite it probably being obvious. What else is there for Tony to think about? To do? There’s nothing but this vast empty planet, nothing but plants and a few animals. Tony’s alone here. Without a friend, no one to help him. He doesn’t know what to do.

All at once the energy to even keep himself upright seems to fade and he sags just a little bit.

“Are you ready?”

Tony doesn’t answer aloud, he just sighs, and Thanos accepts it as enough, standing, and then helping Tony back into the cabin. Tony falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the makeshift pillow, and he’s pulled into tragically positive dreams. Ones where he’s back at home, in the tower, all the Avengers happy and together, not a problem in the world, only for hours later, him to wake up and remember none of it is real.

 

_

 

Days pass, and Tony had taken to skipping rocks across the surface of the stream, it didn’t work out so well, and eventually turned into him just seeing how big a splash he could make with each rock. After a while he gives up, stomping away from the stream, running his hands through his hair, eyeing the Titan angrily.

“You don’t have books or anything?” He yelled. “What the hell am I supposed to do around here? How are you not going insane!”

“I find the quiet comforting.”

“The quiet isn’t the problem.” Tony pouted, crossing his arms. Thanos looked up from the field he was beginning to plow up in rows, all by hand, and actually smiled.

“I find the work keeps me occupied enough. If you want you could give it a try.”

“Not that I want to.” Tony says. “But I’m pretty sure that plow is too heavy for me to use, it’s taller than me.”

“Yes, it is.” Thanos nods, setting the plow down, he unties a leather bag from his belt and hands it to Tony. With seconds of hesitation between them, Tony takes it. Pulling it open by it’s tightly wound cord, he reveals it’s full of medium sized seeds. “If you’d like, you can lay them out in the lines already done. Shouldn’t be too hard. If you get tired just set it down I’ll pick up where you leave off.”

Tony almost didn’t do it. He almost threw the bag down in anger, probably spilling all the seeds out, would have caused a big mess for Thanos to have to deal with if he wanted them all in the field he’d spend the last few hours plowing. It would have felt right, not nearly enough revenge for everything Thanos has done, but it would have been a start. His fingers twitched around the bag, his body anxious to get the vindication his mind was processing. But Tony was so _bored_. If he did drop it, he’d feel good for maybe twenty minutes, but then he’d be back to where he was before, looking around aimlessly for something to do.

So desperate for something other than meaningless activity Tony shrugged his way over and began setting the seeds down about three inches apart all down the rows, on the third row he was sweating, sun beating down on him, but the weather was nicer today, winds wafted through the air cooling him.

He went on for another two rows, before suddenly he lost his balance, and fell heavily into the fresh soft soil. While thankful for the soft surface to fall on, he still groaned in pain, his entire side tense and sore, skin pink and sensitive where he was stabbed. Thanos was there, over him before he even had a chance to think about getting himself back up, a large hand was beneath him, setting him upright.

“Are you alright?”

Mere seconds before slapping the hand away Tony stopped himself, looking up at Thanos, seeing a genuinely concerned face peering down at him, and it all began to slide into place. Thanos wasn’t here looking for a pet, not something to toy with or control. He was experiencing the same thing’s Tony found himself experiencing in his time here. Loneliness. An entire planet, most of it inhabitable, alone.

When Tony was alone and scared, he built himself dozens of Ironman suits and helped make weapons for the team, apparently, Thanos liked to garden. In the span of six seconds Tony suddenly understood this, understood Thanos, and in those seconds he realized that he could use this, play into this need for companionship Thanos has, and mold it to his advantage, whether it be to escape or enact his revenge. Either way, he could do this.

“I’m fine.” He coughed, looking down at the dirt covering his hands and knees. “I just slipped.”

“No. You’ve worked yourself too hard. You must rest.”

Tony stands using Thanos’ arm as a crutch, and nods. “I guess. I’m just going to rinse off in the stream and then I’ll go lie down.”

“I don’t think you’re all right to walk on your own.”

“I said I’m fine.”

He couldn’t give in too easy, the Titan would see that it was too soon. He’d have to wait, do it gradually. He had time after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Loneliness is a killer, Tony’s been victim to it before. Still is, he realizes. In some ways, he’s thankful for it. His experience has made him able to know what loneliness makes one weak to. What they crave, what they are desperate enough to do when enough time passes. He bided his time, watching Thanos, waiting for the moment, for a sign. 

Thanos was so guarded, so calm. Tony could barely read the titan at all. If not for the moments he tested him. The times Tony faked injury and extreme fatigue. The times he reminded Thanos that he was nothing more than a fragile human with numbered days, and soon enough he’d be completely alone again. 

Those were the rare moments Thanos showed emotion. Worry, at first, always making Tony stop what he was doing and rest, then the silence that followed. Contemplation. But hours would pass and the titan would be right back to his guarded usual self.

It was starting to drive Tony insane. At least the work kept him busy.

His arms were sore, so were his legs, and his back. He now understands how hard it was to bring this small area of life back to the planet. Everyday Thanos would plant more. Tony learned it wasn’t just food, but flowers, bushes, trees, grass, and other plants. He’d dig great ditches for rivers to fill and spread. He’d care for the animals, making sure they had food and were in good health. Tony had been helping wherever he could, and only when he felt like it, not when the titan asked. He was sure to make it clear he wasn’t working for Thanos but to simply pass the time since there was nothing else to do. 

He’d done a lot today. It was clear he’d be sore for the next few days to come. Which meant he wasn’t doing shit tomorrow. He laid down in the grass and stared up at the sky. Night had finally come, the air was cool, and the wind blew heavily. He missed the wind. Not that he didn’t have it before. But it wasn’t like this, the air was different on this planet and so was the weather. When he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was back on Earth.

But when he opened his eyes it was clear he was not. The stars were so much easier to see on this planet, no light pollution to speak of. Nothing inhibiting his view. It seemed like there were so many more of them, all brighter and closer. 

“I don’t recognize any of these constellations.” He says aloud, not bothering to turn to Thanos behind him, cooking meat over a small fire.

“You wouldn’t. We’re far from Earth. We don’t share any stars.”

“Are your constellations named?”

“Of course.”

Tony sits up on his elbows and looks to Thanos tilting his head back getting an upside down view of him. “Well come on, show me which ones are which.”

Thanos set the meat to the side of the fire and stood walking around it to Tony, sitting in the grass next to him. Tony sat up fully then, looking to Thanos expectantly. 

Thanos looked to the stars a moment before pointing up. 

“Do you see that very bright star there? A little to the left.” Tony nodded. “If you follow the stars under it in descending brightness it makes an antenna, once you follow that down, you can make out the curve of it.” Thanos traced it out with his finger, Tony had to lean forward following the finger with his eyes until it made a basic shape of a bug. “That one is called-- well, what Midgardians would call ladybug it’s very similar to an insect we used to have here.” Thanos looked to the ground. “It’s long extinct now.”

“Any others?” Tony asked. 

Thanos lifted his hand up, and traced another set, then another and another, briefly describing each one before moving onto the next. Once he’d gone through a few they ate. 

“Do you miss the other Titans?” 

Thanos continued eating without reacting as if he hadn’t heard him. Tony was going to ask again when Thanos set his meat down. “I used to. I was devastated and angry for the years right after it happened. Titans killing each other over the little bit of food and water left. Those who weren’t murdered eventually starved. I was alone, I felt hopeless, the last of my kind. I lived on other planets, struggling to survive. For a while, I thought I would soon die as well, and in those moments- I missed them. But then I found purpose, and with motivation and understanding, the sadness faded. I think back on them now as a learning experience. The natural order. They didn’t deserve to live because they weren’t willing to make the right choices.”

“Do you really think life itself is a privilege? That there are those who deserve it and those who don’t?”

“I suppose, don’t you?” 

“Generally...no. But I can’t deny that there were times I thought some people should die. You for example.” 

Thanos nods. “A flaw of most beings I've come into contact with. Feelings. Even when you have values, ideals that you believe in, you often deviate from it due to emotions. You have exceptions and special cases. Moments where you find yourself justified doing something that you’d judge others for doing. When I embarked on this quest for the Infinity Stones, I did it so I could take emotion out of it. So no one else would have to make the hard decision that my planet was unable to make.” 

“What if you’re wrong? What if-” Tony licks his lips. “What if it was just Titan’s time? You talk about natural order, but naturally, all things must die.”

“That is true, but it could have been prevented, I was right, and they just didn’t listen. When things can be prevented, they should be.”

“But we weren’t at that stage, we weren’t on the verge of extinction. It didn’t require that dramatic action.”

“When weeds begin to grow in the garden, you don’t wait for them to start killing the flowers you pull them quickly.”

“But we’re people, not weeds.”

Thanos sighs. “You know a weed is just another plant, not much different than flowers, or whatever else you’re growing. You simply pull it because you don’t like it, or because it takes away from the plant's you do like. By making it random I didn’t choose a favorite. I just made it so others would survive.”

Tony shook his head, he didn’t want to reason with the Mad Titian. He was beyond that now. He finished eating and stood. “I’m going to sleep.”

Then he decided, once the sun came back up, he’d begin exploring again, and maybe try to find where Thanos hid the stones. 


End file.
